Chapter 57

Since the Fasa-Levona combined fleet began its pirate subjugation, the pirates near Fasa were exterminated.

It was a matter of course.

The Black Company alone was already a considerable military force.

When the elite Levonan fleet also appeared, the pirates had no choice but to be annihilated.

Especially after it became known that Orman, one of the five pirates, had suffered severe damage, the pirates began to avoid the vicinity of Fasa altogether.

As the opponents for a joint military operation disappeared, the combined fleet naturally shifted its mission from pirate subjugation to small-scale reconnaissance.

That day, too, a warship belonging to the Levonan fleet was on a maritime reconnaissance mission.

Cutting through the sea covered in a thick sea fog, the warship’s captain, Dolin, spoke.

“It seems like today will just end quietly.”

“It really seems so. On days like this, the pirates are quiet too.”

Dolin’s adjutant replied.

On foggy days, visibility was limited, so the pirates were also quiet.

Thanks to that, the voyage became boring, but no one complained.

No matter how much of a soldier they were, they were still human.

Everyone knew that a boring job was much better than one that risked their lives.

It was true that dwarves were brave, but not all dwarves were like Admiral Gian.

In fact, even by dwarf standards, Admiral Gian was overly belligerent.

Not a commendable personality.

“Let’s patrol moderately and return to Fasa. Make sure to record it in the logbook.”

“Understood.”

“But what is this sound?”

“Pardon? What do you mean, sir?”

“Can’t you hear it? I hear some kind of creaking sound.”

The adjutant had a bewildered face, but the sound was clearly audible to Dolin’s ears.

It was like the sound of something with great weight walking across the wooden deck.

Creak— Creak—.

Soon, it was revealed that it was not an auditory hallucination.

Because the sailors on the deck also began to hear the sound.

The sailors were agitated, hearing the unidentified sound.

As they operated in the unknown territory of the sea, sailors tended to look for superstitions rather than religion.

And this noise certainly felt ominous.

“What on earth is this sound?”

“Hey, lookout! Can’t you see anything?”

“I can’t see anything because of the sea fog. It’s too dark. Could it be the trick of a siren……”

“Boshen, shut up! Instead of spouting nonsense, look around! What kind of devil are you talking about?”

“But Captain……”

“If you don’t shut up right now, I’ll whip you myself!”

The commotion subsided at Captain Dolin’s roar, but the sailors’ anxiety did not easily subside.

They looked out over the sea with fearful eyes.

In the meantime, the creaking noise continued to be heard.

Creak— Creak—.

“Doesn’t the sound seem closer?”

“No way?”

“No. It’s clear. But this sound, could it be?”

Just then, the fog in front of them parted, and a giant ship revealed itself.

It was of a size that could be believed to be a floating sea fortress rather than a ship.

Only then did Dolin realize the identity of the noise.

At the same time, the lookout shouted.

“Ogre! It’s Tospol!”

“Damn it, of all times!”

The sailors believed in superstitions to avoid misfortune.

But the sailors, focusing too much on superstitions, missed the common sense of the Golden Sea.

The legendary pirate of the Golden Sea, Tospol, was not actually a person suited to be a pirate.

Because of his racial trait as an ogre, he weighed too much.

Even in the best light, Tospol was severely obese.

A ship that could carry that giant body was not common in the Golden Sea, and the same went for a deck that could support that weight.

Therefore, it was common sense in the Golden Sea that a strange cry was heard when Tospol appeared.

It was just that this time, they couldn't figure out the cause because of the thick fog.

Dolin, who came to his senses late, shouted.

“Prepare for battle! Everyone, prepare for battle!”

The sailors standing on the deck ran in all directions.

In the meantime, an irregular and unpleasant noise continued to be heard from beyond the fog.

Creak— Creak—.

The sound seemed to foretell their fate.

Towards the panicked Levonan warship, a giant floating fortress slid in.

A short while later, a loud collision sound echoed over the fog.

***

I examined a new report in my office.

It was a report written by Eleonor regarding the military exchange with Levona.

It was certainly beneficial to move together with Levona.

In particular, Levona, as a maritime power, had the know-how of operating warships.

I thought I had established a system, but compared to Levona, there were many shortcomings.

One must copy the strengths.

As I began to secretly learn the shortcomings over their shoulders, the dullness of the mercenary fleet also gradually began to sharpen.

“Still, please spare me from fighting like Admiral Gian. If the Young Master tells me to, I will, but still, that’s a bit.”

I soothed Theo, who was showing reluctance.

“I have no intention of telling you to imitate him, so don’t worry. I was surprised by that too. I knew dwarves were brave, but I never thought they would go that far.”

“No matter how I think about it, Admiral Gian seems a bit peculiar……”

The reason Theo was disgusted was simple.

In the last joint operation, Admiral Gian had shown the divine skill of cutting the mast rope and flying to another ship with the recoil.

Seeing a flying dwarf, I thought my eyeballs were going to pop out, you know?

Of course, it was too dangerous for just anyone to imitate.

It was a feat that only an experienced sailor who had been on a ship for a long time could do.

So, even in the mercenary company, there were no fools who dared to imitate Admiral Gian.

“Keep a close eye on Rhom. He might try to imitate it.”

“I don't think so. I saw Rhom being careful last time.”

“It’s understandable since he was just discharged from the hospital after being admitted. But that fool will eventually cause trouble.”

“Young Master, trolls are people too. They can die. A troll’s regenerative ability also has its limits.”

“Yes. I know too. That is a troll’s weakness. That they die if you cut their neck.”

“Isn’t that usually the case for everyone?”

Theo, who had been serious, changed to a bewildered face.

Just then, a city hall messenger with a pale face rushed in.

“Sir Gryph! It’s an emergency!”

“Calm down. Catch your breath. Tell me what happened. Would you like some water?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes.”

I calmly soothed the messenger.

Sitting in this seat, it wasn’t the first or second time I had heard that there was an emergency.

In fact, to be blunt, most of the time it wasn't something to be so surprised about.

As a result, I was no longer easily surprised even when a commotion broke out.

“What is it? An attack? Or is someone else invading?”

“Well, it’s not that. I think Sir Gryph needs to go and see for yourself.”

“Ah, I see. Is some committee short of necessary documents again? Are they going to take up several hours with some discussion when I’m busy as hell?”

“Ah, it’s not that!”

The messenger beat his chest as if in frustration.

“Then what is it?”

“A ship has just entered the port. But that ship is not in good condition, anyway, you have to go and see for yourself.”

“What?”

The moment I heard those words, for the first time, a sense of anxiety crept up my spine.

***

As soon as the carriage arrived at the port, I hurriedly got out.

It seemed the rumor had not yet spread, as there were almost no onlookers.

Instead, the people gathered were all important figures of the city.

Admiral Gian, Mayor Rapacio, Matriarch Costanza, Leonaldo, Representative of the Shipowners' Union, and so on.

That alone showed the gravity of the matter.

“Am I late?”

“No. We also just came after hearing the news. But more importantly, that’s not it. Look at that ship.”

“That’s a Levonan warship.”

“That’s right. Captain Dolin of Levona set sail a while ago.”

Where the people pointed, there was a ship that had entered the port flying the flag of Levona.

Seeing how seriously it was damaged, it was clear that it had gone through a fierce battle.

“It seems it met pirates, but it managed to sail here on its own. It wouldn’t have been easy to come this far in a state where it wouldn't have been strange if it had sunk.”

“It didn’t sail here on its own.”

“Then who towed the ship here?”

“……”

Representative Leonaldo’s eyes wavered.

It wasn't just him.

The other people present also showed clear signs of fear.

“There’s only one person who would do something like this. The man-eating ogre of Kresven has returned.”

“You mean Tospol?”

“That bastard always used to send the prey he caught back to the port before starting his piracy. To mock us, to give us greater despair.”

No one was unaware that Tospol would one day return to the Golden Sea.

But when it actually happened, the shock people felt was much greater than expected.

People were agitated every time Tospol’s name was mentioned.

Admiral Gian, who was on the calmer side, stepped forward.

“It might not be Tospol’s doing. There are many pirates in the Golden Sea. Are there any survivors to confirm?”

“A few people who were hiding in the secret hold. But they are not in their right minds due to dehydration. It won’t be easy for them to recover to a state where they can talk.”

“Then the rest?”

“They must have become fish food in the Golden Sea. Because Tospol relieves his anger by slaughtering his captives.”

“This is maddening. Really.”

Some wanted to deny reality, and others tried to find hope in it.

That alone showed how much of a nightmare Tospol had reigned as in the Golden Sea.

Among the people, only Matriarch Costanza was unshaken.

“Everyone, act calmly. What is this behavior as the elders of the city?”

“S-Sorry, Matriarch Costanza. But I was so surprised. It’s, it’s Tospol, you know. If this fact becomes known to the citizens, it will cause great anxiety.”

“Is that important now? How we respond is much more important.”

“That’s true, but I don’t know well……”

When Matriarch Costanza scolded him, Mayor Rapacio reluctantly replied.

Then he looked at me.

“An expert would know better about this kind of thing, wouldn’t they? Sir Gryph?”

At Mayor Rapacio’s call, everyone’s gaze fell on me.

The people’s gazes were each different.

Desperation, fear, hope, worry, bewilderment.

Everyone was just looking at my mouth.

I felt a sense of elation, realizing that the fate of the city was in my hands.

And I calmly responded.

“Speak, Mayor.”

“I know time was short, but how prepared is the mercenary company now? With our current strength, can we really face Tospol?”

“Could you give me a moment to think?”

“Please do.”

I did some calculations for a moment.

The work of hastily converting the ships under construction at the state shipyard into warships was in progress, but it was far from finished.

Instead, there was the Levonan fleet led by Admiral Gian.

Though they had lost one ship, unlike Fasa, they were all warships.

And there were also plans prepared to face Tospol.

This was worth a try.

“The mercenary company’s side has no problems. However, I will have to ask for Admiral Gian’s understanding. I hope you will understand that I must request a sudden departure. Is the Levonan side able to set sail?”

“Of course, we can! I can’t miss out on tearing pirates to shreds. I will gladly cooperate for the sake of the alliance.”

Admiral Gian, overflowing with hatred for pirates, readily nodded his head.

I looked at the city’s distinguished guests.

“So he says. The fleet can be dispatched at any time.”

“Then, in the name of the mayor and citizens of Fasa, I ask you to please defeat those lawless pirate bastards.”

Mayor Rapacio issued the order to depart.

I bent my knees slightly and bowed to the city’s distinguished guests.

“Understood. We will depart as soon as preparations are complete. So, please do not worry. I, Leon Gryph, will do my best to bring victory to Fasa. That is why this mercenary company was created.”

Now.

It was time to satisfy the investors and confirm the efforts and results so far.

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